Carmelo Anthony voted in by fans as All-Star starter ... and he will be teammates with Kevin Garnett
Carmelo Anthony yells at Boston Celtics forward Kevin Garnett after an altercation during a game at Madison Square Garden. (Jan. 7, 2013) Credit: Getty
Carmelo Anthony is having a career season, and the fans have taken notice.
The Knicks forward was selected by fans to serve as a starter for the East All-Star team the league unveiled Thursday. He got 1,460,950 votes, behind only Kobe Bryant, LeBron James and Kevin Durant.
It's the sixth All-Star appearance for Anthony, who's averaging a career-best 29.2 points per game this season. The league's 62nd All-Star Game is Feb. 17 in Houston.
"Melo is playing at a level this year that's MVP-type," Knicks coach Mike Woodson said after the Knicks' win Thursday.
Anthony will be joined in the East's starting lineup by James and fellow Heat teammate Dwyane Wade, as well as Boston's Rajon Rondo and Kevin Garnett.
Anthony and Garnett playing on the same team? That will be interesting to watch after the two had a trash-talking feud earlier this month at the Garden that resulted in Anthony being suspended one game for waiting outside the Celtics' locker room and team bus after the game. They later cleared the air.
In the West, four of the five starters play at the Staples Center: Bryant and Lakers big man Dwight Howard, plus the Clippers' Chris Paul and Blake Griffin.
This was the first year of the NBA's new voting system, which allowed fans to pick three frontcourt players rather than selecting two forwards and a traditional center.
The league's 30 head coaches will choose the reserves, each voting for seven players within his own conference -- including two guards, three frontcourt players and two others regardless of position. But they can't vote for anyone on their own team.
Reserves will be announced Thursday.
With Al Iannazzone
